Dragon Dolor
by Calophi
Summary: Over 400 years after TRY, Filia has sunk into a deep depression and her past catches up with her when ends up traveling with Val and Xelloss . Will she find love? Or will she only find more pain?
1. Depression

Dragon Dolor: Chapter 1  
"Depression"  
Dislcaimer: Slayers does not belong to me. Yeps.

_Four hundred years..._Filia sighed as she set her tea cup down on it's matching saucer. Usually tea would calm her down a bit, and so she had made it with the hopes that it would soothe her troubled mind. Unfortunately, it had caused her to think even more than she already was. About the past. Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, Amelia. All had departed from the world a couple hundred years ago after leading full and happy lives, as far as humans go. After four hundred years, she had hoped that she would have forgotten about them by now. But of course she could not, because whenever the thought of her being the last golden dragon crossed her mind, she remembered the slaughter of the rest of her race, and then she would see the faces of her old friends as clearly as she had seen them on that horrific day.

"Filia? You home?" a voice called out as Filia heard the front door close. She shook her head to clear her mind, as well as the tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Yes Val, I'm here," she replied. She pushed her chair back and flinched as it scraped loudly against the wooden floor, the proceeded to clean up her tea things as the last of the ancient dragons wandered into the room looking pleased with himself. He gave Filia a kiss on the cheek as a greeting, the same kiss she recieved just about every day for the last few hundred years, and leaned back against the table casually. 

"Protecting this town is too easy," he said smugly, yawning for effect. "Soon I'll have enough gold to get you that vase you wanted..." He noticed that she was cleaning up though she hadn't finished her tea, and his train of thought immediately shifted. "Filia-san, are you okay?" he asked, his eyes concerned. She shook her head and forced a smile; he only called her Filia-san when he was worried about something...or when she scolded him. But that was another matter entirely.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to sound cheerful, but a squeak in her voice betrayed her emotions. Val wasn't fooled for a moment. She had been acting like this for the past hundred years or so, and it was getting worse every day. He didn't understand why, after three hundred years of happiness, she would become drepressed so suddenly. He reached out for her to pat her shoulder, but she had already turned with her things and was hurrying to the kitchen. "I'm fine, I said!" Val shrugged half-heartedly and left Filia to her thoughts.

* * * * *

Filia sighed as she heard Val leave. _Great, now I've upset him_. She honestly didn't know what to feel anymore. She had raised Val as best she could, acting as his older sister and teaching right from wrong. She hoped. But he was now the spitten image of the man - no, dragon, she corrected herself - that he was before he was reborn and she had gratefully taken the chance to atone for the sins of the golden dragons by raising the last member of the very race they had sought to wipe out so long ago. He had never called her okaa-san or onee-san; never referred to her as family, but never treated her as anything more than family. She had not lied to him, not really; the events that had happened over four hundred years ago were pretty much legendary and keeping the information from him as well as her role in it would have been impossible. But he didn't _remember_ what had happened, and she had watered the events down when she told him the sad tale.

She never, ever referred to him as Valgarv. As far as she knew, he did not know of his past life at all. She let him think that he was Valgarv's son and that she had named him after his dead father. She hadn't actually told him that, but when he had asked her if that was the case, his eyes shining with youthful interest, she had agreed with that theory before she could get the better of herself. Looking at him today, she couldn't decide if that was the right thing to do or not. Her heart filled with remorse whenever she saw him, and that sadness grew as he did. She did not know if she loved him as a sister, or if she loved him out of pity, or if she simply loved him. It was enough that she loved him at all, she supposed.

She felt a pang in her heart as she longed for someone she could really love; someone who could help her race flourish again. Once she died, the golden dragons would be extinct. Once Val died, the ancient dragon race would meet the same fate. It would be foolish for her to think that she could ever get together with Val; that would be too...weird. And it wouldn't help either of their plights, either. If only she could find someone...

Suddenly, Filia jumped as she heard a voice coming from directly behind her - a voice that was not Val's.

"Greetings, Filia. Been awhile, hasn't it?"

(To be continued....)


	2. Anger

Dragon Dolor: Chapter 2  
_Anger_  
* Slayers is not my property, the story is my property, blah blah blah. ^_^  
* I'm sorry if the html isn't working; I've tried to fix it a few times. Let me know if you can find the problem (if it still isn't working).  
* Thank you to all those who reviewed so far! I hope you keep reading. I really like how this is going, and I have some...plans...up ahead. *wink*

Filia whipped around to face the person whose voice she reconized instantly, her fists clenched and her face wrinkled with distaste. "**_YOU,_**" she scowled, her voice practically dripping with hatred. She continued to glower at the intruder as he twirled lightly in the air with a joyous expression on his face.

"None other!" he agreed. He faced the dragon girl and placed a hand on her shoulder as he floated in front of her. "It pleases this mysterious priest to know you remember him so fondly, Filia," he said almost mockingly, his eyes closed into the usual half moon shape. Filia glared daggers at him for a moment, then realized that he was touching her. She grimaced and raised her fist, catching the one named Xelloss slightly off-guard by socking him right in the face. He tumbled in the air for a moment and caught himself before he hit the cabinets across the kitchen. He rubbed a bit at his cheek, the smile having never departed from his face. "Thanks, Filia. You have no idea how much I needed that. It's a wonder I didn't come to visit you sooner."

Frusterated that she hadn't managed to upset her mortal enemy, she turned her back on him and began placing her now clean tea set into it's proper place on the counter. Xelloss watched as she did so from his perch in the air, still smiling happily. Filia was very much aware of his continued presence and soon she could take it no longer. In a flash she stood before him. "What the hell are you doing, contaminating my home with your...your filth!" she exclaimed, and Xelloss recoiled slightly, amused by her outburst. He lifted a finger.

"That..."

"Is a secret. Yes! I know! That's why I want you **out** of my house! OUT! I've lived happily for the past two centuries without your meddling and your secrets and the problems you single-handedly create. I will continue to live happily for many more centuries to come. I do NOT want to see you. Ever. I do not need a disgusting monster hanging about my home! LEAVE!"

Xelloss's expression turned to one of thoughtfulness. "Yes," he murmered as his face turned to the ceiling. It HAS been centuries, hasn't it? I always manage to loose track of time somehow..." Then his entire attitude shifted and he looked at her, his amethyist eyes open and glinting. _Those eyes_, Filia thought, taking a step back from the shocking stare. _Those frightening eyes..._ "You're lying," he stated plainly, his words filled with a sort of malice.

"WHAT!?" she yelled, fury replacing her fear.

"You. Are. Lying," he said, smirking wickedly.

Filia shuddered with rage. "I am most certainly _not_ lying. I want you out of here. Forever!"

Xelloss's gaze did not waver. "That much is perfectly clear," he said calmly. "However..." he paused and narrowed his eyes accusingly. "You are not happy. And you haven't been for a long time, have you, Filia?" It was more of a statement than a question, and though Filia knew it would do no good to deny it, she tried to anyway.

"What would _you_ know," she huffed, turning away to walk out of the room. But Xelloss would have none of that. He stepped to intercede her, and when she tried to walk around him he moved directly in front of her. She glared at him.

"My dear Filia," he said, "I am a mazoku. I know more about pain and suffering than you will ever know. And I must say," Filia noted with disdain that he had closed his eyes and was smiling at her once again, "that you are _radiating_ negative energy! I'm basking in your dark aura!" He floated around the room as if on a high, and Filia restrained herself from basking him...right in his disgusting face. She was a bit more mature than she used to be, and she knew that this garbage pile of a creature was not worth the risk of destroyingf her home.

"I remember," he went on, lost in nostaliga, "when Hellmaster had me go on that mission to destroy Gaav. Meeting up with Lina Inverse was the best thing that ever happened to me. Hell breaking loose wherever she went. Bursts of anger and annoyance. All that negative energy, flowing through me at every second! I kissed her, you know," he said nonchalently, pausing in his story to see her reaction. "Twice."

Filia was so angry that one could almost steam rising from her ears. The very thought that he would degrade a treasured friend like that... "You...Why did you tell me that?" she demanded of him, and he grinned.

"Because I knew it would upset you, of course! You're so very wonderful when you're upset." She fumed as he went on, not wanting to hear more but having no way to remove him from her home without damaging some furniture, or worse, some vases. "I just couldn't help myself. Her anger had gotten the best of me, I suppose, and I felt the need to taste it from a...closer...range." He licked his lips, the memory still crisp in his mind. He glanced at Filia once again. She was getting angrier by the minute despite her attempts to calm her emotions. She wanted this monster to have no reason to stay here. He grinned at her, and the hair bristled on the back of her neck. She began to back away from him right when he began to move slowly towards her.

"The flavor was...exhilerating; the best I ever experienced," he said, his eyes opening and fixing themselves on Filia. "That is, until I met you, dragon dear." She gasped as she backed into a counter, unable to move any farther away from him. His eyes locked on hers with an almost hypnotic quality to his gaze, and she found herself unable to move for all she was struggling. "You, Filia, are the sweetest creature I have ever had the pleasure to taste." His eyes closed, breaking his hypnotic stare, but he moved so quickly that before Filia could react she had to squeek out a wimper of pain. Xelloss had bitten her ear lobe. Hard.

Her senses returned. Her anger flared. With a swift motion she had the mace that was normally strapped to her leg in her hand. "HYAAAAA!" she screamed as she swung her weapon and bashed the intruding mazoku in his side, causing him to crash into the opposite wall near the entrance to the dining room. He lay slumped against the wall for a moment, head hanging down. Filia was closing in for another blow when he rose his head and again caught her eyes with his own, victorious, purple ones. He licked a drop of dragon's blood from his lip and smiled.

"That was well worth it," he said; then he disappeared. And not a moment too soon, for Val ran into the room.

"Filia! What's wrong? I heard you scream and I got here as quickly as I could..." He saw Filia staring at the wall where Xelloss had been, breathing heavily and looking mighty pissed. He reached out and touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

The golden dragon turned, and upon seeing Val's concerned and worried expression, she immediately felt foolish. "It...it was a rat," she said, flushing slightly. Val's eyes narrowed slightly; he didn't believe her.

"A...rat." he stated flatly, lowering his arm. "Then how did it get your ear?"

Filia touched her ear, suddenly aware of the hot blood dripping down her neck. "It was a jumping rat," she said quickly. "It got away." She forced a disappointed look onto her face, as if she was thirsting to murder the creature who had damaged her precious ear. She WAS, of course, but she was more angry than disappointed that she had not done so. Thankfully, Val only laughed when he saw her expression and led her away from the scene of the crime.

"That's my Filia," he chuckled. "Always ready for a fight!" He gently pushed Filia towards the washroom. "Go ahead and clean yourself up; I'll look around for the rodent." She smiled and nodded, and then reached the washroom. She cupped her hands into a small fountain and splashed the cool, clear water on her ear, washing away the blood and subsiding the throbbing she had only just begun to feel. She hated to lie to Val like that, but how could she tell him that a monster had come here to feed because it found her energy to be a delicacy? She could not, of course - then she would have to explain her depression. She knew she had to find a way to make herself happy so Xelloss would never come to bother her - no, them - again. Either make herself happy...or forget her pain.

Meanwhile, Val was back in the kitchen, searching for Filia's "attacker". His nose wrinkled as he ran a hand through his bright green hair. _Something_ had been in here with her. He could smell it throughout the room, though he couldn't quite place the aroma. Oh yes, he smelled something...but it didn't smell like a rat.

(To be continued...)


	3. Plans

Chapter 3:  
_Plans_  
* Hope you guys are enjoying my fic. It's gonna start to get interesting soon, I hope. I'm trying to do something original but I'm not really sure if I am or not. As you can probably guess at this point there's gonna be some X/F stuff going on, and I'm not sure if the ending will be happy or not. Everything I have planned is coming along in the middle of the story, and right now I'm just kinda winging it and hoping it doesn't suck. I also might have to change the rating on it at some point. #^_^# I'll warn you if that happens.  
*And, just like everyone else on this blasted site, I don't own Slayers (though we all wish we did!)

* * *

A cool breeze blew through the mazoki's purple hair and rustled through the trees. He had reappeared in a forest that stood a short distance away from the town in which Filia resided, and far enough from her senses so that he would not be detected. A smile danced on his face and his eyes were closed in amused half-moons once more. _Well,_ he thought, _that was much more fun that I had thought it would be._ He savored the power that flowed through him. _Sweeter than the sweetest hatred,_ he thought musingly.

A burning sensation in his lips reminded him that he had bit Filia hard enough to draw blood. The burning wasn't entirely unpleasant, but he would rather not have to deal with distractions right now. He licked his lips, but that didn't sate the burning. Indeed, now his lips were wet as well as burning. _Oh well,_ he thought as he continued to smile. _I really didn't mean to bite her that hard, just enough so that she'd be pissed. Something made me lose control..But,_ he thought as he ran his tounge across his lips again, _I think I would do it again, if I had the chance._

The burning still hadn't stopped, and Xelloss decided that he would go back to Beastmaster Xelas for an explaination. After all, it was she who had finally given him time off to do "whatever it was that amused him the most," and surely she knew exactly what that was. In fact, most mazoku knew that he enjoyed annoying the golden dragon and they tended to stay away from her lest he be ired. He quite liked that they were so afraid of him that they kept off his favorite feeding grounds, and his smile grew wider when he thought about how they'd be even more afraid if they _did_ visit her. In his mind he pictured various encounters where she had changed into her dragon self and chased him around with potentially bone crushing attacks and her dragon's breath. Feeding from Filia was a dangerous business, and not many mazoku would be able to handle her the way he could even though she had matured and was a bit less carefree with her mace.

A sudden flare up of the burning in his lips reminded him of his resolution to see his master. He looked out on the small town before entering the astral plane. He would be back.

* * *

"We're leaving. We're going. We have to leave." Filia was chanting her mantra as she scurried about the house inspecting all of her possessions and deciding what she would be leaving behind. Val stood off to the side, watching her with his mouth slightly agape. He couldn't remember her ever acting like this before, and it worried him. Though he was glad to see that she wasn't as depressed as she was earlier today, she was now angry. Angry enough that her tail had popped out from beneath her dress and was reaking havoc on the house whenever she turned around. He was sure this had something to do with the "rat" that had appeared in the kitchen. The rat that wasn't really a rat.

If he ever found out who had hurt his Filia, he would beat that asshole into a bloody pulp.

He turned from the den and tramped up the steps to his bedroom to pack his necessities. He didn't have much, just some clothes, really. He had a feeling he wouldn't need too much else where they were going, though where that was he couldn't be sure. Filia was hiding something from him. More than one thing, too - not just the identity of the creature that was in the kitchen with her, though that's what baffled him the most. He could almost recognize the scent it had left behind, like he had smelled it before...but in his mind he knew that he had not.

He pounded his fist on his bed in frustration. Why was Filia lying to him? Why did her face fill with pain when she looked at him? She was never like this when he was little. Never. So why now? Why, when he was finally starting to feel something for the woman who brought him up? They were both the last of their race, they should be together. That's the way he saw it. It was only right. But...for the past one hundred years or so, she had been changing. And he had been getting nightmares; horrible dreams that he could barely remember when he awoke. All he could remember was power...horrible, destructive power...

* * *

Filia nearly had all her things together. She had decided to head back north to where she remembered there was a dragon sanctuary in a valley somewhere. Lina had told her of it a while back, but she never bothered to go looking for it. She couldn't remember it's exact location, but she was sure that if she asked around she'll pick up some rumors here and there and be able to find it. She knew of only one person who knew where the sanctuary was, but she was NOT, under ANY circumstances, going to ask him.

Just thinking about that piece of raw garbage caused her anger to flare up to an almost intolerable level, but as quickly as it came it subsided again. Filia was proud of herself for being able to control her temper so well, and she sauntered into the kitchen to get her final and most prized possession: her tea set. As she reached for it, she froze and whipped around, half expecting a certain purple-eyed mazoku to be floating behind her with a knowing grin plastered on his face. He wasn't there, of course, and she sighed with relief as she placed her tea things carefully into a bag. She would leave before he found her again; she promised herself that.

* * *

Xelloss sat in a shadowy corner of his quarters, pondering his current situation. Xelas did not recommend him to drink any more dragon's blood, though she would not stop him if that is what he chose to do. "Drinking dragon's blood is punishment enough in itself," she had said, "though I don't think you have gotten enough to have any lasting effects." That was just as well, because Xelloss had no intention of feeding directly from her blood again.

He wondered how long the burning in his lips would last. He had been told that if a mazoku drinks of a golden dragon's blood, certain side effects could be seen, the least of which linked the mazoku to the feelings of the dragon. Providing that the dragon was alive, of course. The faint burning meant that Filia was upset, or sad - negative emotions in general. A sharp pain meant that her negative energy was directed at him specifically, and he grinned whenever he got one of those - he didn't realize that he had such a long lasting effect on her. Each pang filled him with the sweet sensation of power, but he still didn't want it to last too long. He wasn't so sure he liked being linked to a violent, selfish golden dragon.

As for long lasting effects, they depended on the mazoku. Sometimes the mazoku would become mortal, and sometimes they would fade away, never to return. Sometimes the dragon's blood would war with the essense of the mazoku, destroying it entirely. Mazoku would often lose powers, and rarely gain them. Xelas had said that there could be other effects, but since most mazoku weren't stupid enough to imbibe blood from any dragon, let alone a golden one, they weren't known. Xelloss had flinched with that last remark; he did not want his master to think him stupid or lose faith in him. Only L-sama knew what would happen to him then.

_Oh well!_ he thought in a sing-song manner. _I'll just feast on her anger for a while longer and bother her a bit later. I have orders to follow, after all..._

(To be continued...)


	4. Mirth

Chapter 4  
_Mirth_  
*Digi-Riven: I know that she isn't the last golden dragon, and she knows that too - she's just the last dragon in her clan. But, she didn't ever tell Val that there were more in that valley that she's heading to. She never even told him it existed. He'll find out eventually.  
*Hey everyone! This chapter should be a little more pleasant mood-wise than the others have been. I don't want the characters to be all angsty forever, ne? ^_^ Anyway, Otakon is this weekend, and I can't go. T_T But I made a Gourry Jellyfish doll and I'm giving it to a friend to auction off for me. It's my first doll but I am assured that it's really good as compared to most of the dolls seen at anime conventions. Keep an eye out for it. You never know, you might think it's adorable and pay lots and lots of money for it. If you want a preview of it, copy paste this link into your browser: _**www.animejb.com/gourryfish.jpg**_ Buy it! Get that price up! Mama needs a new laser printer! ^_~ (And a sewing machine, and a gamecube, and the slayers boxset, etc. etc)  
*Oh yeah, and I don't own Slayers, but I do own the only Gourry Jellyfish doll known to exist. For now, anyway.

* * *

Filia took a deep breath as she walked though a path in a grandiose meadow. The air was sweet and clear, the sky cloudless, and in the distance she could hear birds singing merrily. She was feeling much better now that she was out on the road. This was just what she needed; she didn't realize how much she missed traveling. She looked up at Val and caught his attention with a cheerful smile, and he flushed a little and smiled back. This was nice. This was better than nice, actually - it was more like perfect. And once they got to the hidden valley, they would be amongst dragon-kind once more. She had not wanted to bring Val to a place where he might be slain due to his nature, but now he was more than able to care for himself. She still felt badly for lying, and the sorrow of the past was in her heart...but she was enjoying herself for now.

A sudden sickening sensation told her that she had thought that too soon. As calmly as she could she excused herself from Val's presense to attend to, er, certain necessities, and teleported into a small wooded area a few hundred feet from the edge of the meadow. "Xelloss! I know you're here!"

Sure enough, the trickster priest materialized before her. "Well well, if it isn't the world's most violent golden dragon. What brings you here, Filia-chan?" he said, smiling at her. He chuckled as a pang shot through his lips. "Don't like that nickname, do you?"

"I don't like it from you, garbage-face. How dare you act so familiar to me! Did you come here just to bother me again?"

"Why Filia, how rude of you! I noticed that you were considerably less angry at me, so I thought I'd pay you a visit. Catch up on old times while you were in a good mood." He floated up and took a perch on a tree branch while she glowered at him. "My my, were you golden dragons always this inconsiderate? Or is it just you?"

"Humph." Filia turned his back on him. "You just want to feed off me again. Well, I'm not going to let you."

"Hm?"

"You heard me. You aren't getting anything from me today, trash pile, so why don't you just leave me alone?"

Indeed, he wasn't getting anything from her. She had managed to supress her negative emotions quite well, even her words came without a feeling of contempt. He hadn't even felt the slightest burning in his lips. In fact, there was a different sensation there. It reminded him of...laughter. He hopped down in front of her and smiled right in her face. "Ah, so I don't annoy you anymore, Filia-chan?" She smirked. Indeed, not a negative reaction from her at all.

"Nope, you don't annoy me in the least little bit. So why are you hanging around when you're not getting your feast?"

"Now that," he said as he lifted up his admonshing finger, "is a...yeouch!"

* * *

"Oof!" Filia groaned as she landed on her rump. Xelloss had thrown her on the ground, but it was only to be expected after she bit his finger so hard. She looked up and saw him looking astonished at his sore finger as it quickly healed. When he finally caught her looking at him, she stood up while licking the last of the black droplets on her lips. It surprised her that it didn't taste disgusting. In fact, it was just a bit tart, like green apples if you cooked them just right. She pushed that thought back so Xelloss wouldn't catch it and addressed him. "You should have known that I would never allow myself to be outdone by a filthy mazoku," she said haughtily. "I don't know what your intentions are, but I assure you that you will not get the better of me." _And now I will know when this dirty beast will come to see me way ahead of time,_ she thought. His thoughts will betray his actions.

Xelloss raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you knew what the effects would be after I bit you that hard," he said, trying to act like his plot had been foiled. "How unlucky."

"Stuff it, Xelloss. I already know that you had no clue what was going to happen, so don't try and play it off like you did it on purpose."

_Eh!? How did she know that?_

Filia giggled. "Stop feeling so confused, Xelloss! I can hardly take it!" The dragon girl furiously rubbed her lips as if they were tickling her. "Come on, don't tell me you didn't know that it works the same for dragons as it does for mazoku."

"Of course I knew," he said, trying to keep his cool.

She straightened. "You're lying," she announced.

_This girl is good,_ he thought, almost proud of her. _She would have made an excellent mazoku!_

Filia felt a pleasurable sensation on her lips. Mis-translating the feeling slightly, she gasped in surprised and then her rage flared. "STOP THINKING THOSE KINDS OF THOUGHTS ABOUT ME!" she yelled, grabbing her mace and making a mad dash towards the befuddled priest. He managed to dodge her weapon and it bashed into a tree instead, causing it to fall over. He barely had time to react as she swing around for another go, only to miss as he teleported away from her, letting her whiff the air.

"Sorry, Filia-chan!" he chirped. "Company's coming, and three's a crowd!" With that he sent himself into the astral plane.

"Get back here you pervert!" she screamed. "You won't get away with this!"

* * *

"Filia?" a voice asked. Filia whipped around to see Val standing at the edge of the wood near the meadow she had left him waiting in. "You were taking so long, so I thought I'd see if you were okay..." his voice trailed off as he sniffed the air, and his eyes narrowed as he looked accusingly at Filia. "That wasn't a rat yesterday, was it Filia? You lied to me. I smell it all over this place. She remained silent as he strode up to her and grabbed her shoulders. "YOU smell like it. It was here, wasn't it?"

"No...it wasn't a rat," Filia said, looking away from Val, "and I smell like him because I bit him back." She loosened his grip on her and slid one of her arms through his, causing him to flush slightly. "No worries, Val-kun," she said, and he blushed harder. "I'll definately know in plenty of time next time he shows up Let's just get to where we're going, okay?"

"And where is that, Filia...chan?" he asked, hesitant to use such a friendly name when he had never before used it. He felt her stiffen for a moment, and then relax.

"That," she grinned as they began walking, "is a secret!"

(To be continued...)


	5. Cheer

Dragon Dolor: Chapter 5   
_Cheer  
_* Hey all! I didn't write for a while not only because of lack of reviews, but because of lack of anything decent to write. I'm not sure where I want this to go, and now I know I should have updated more slowly so as to get more reviews. Much thanks to Digi-riven for reviewing twice! Whee!  
* Also, I've been reading fanfics more than writing. Check out my favorite stories to see all the stories and people that have been sucking up my time. Two of them are 59 chapters! Yowza! Took forever to read those, lemmie tell you. But they're some of the best stuff I've read, and it was worth it. I also spend a lot of time reading stuff by DemonPhoenix9 and Dragonsdaughter; I hunt for their updates as soon as I log in. ^_^  
  


* * *

  
Filia scrunched her nose as sunlight streamed in through the window aiming, of course, directly into her eyes. It must be some sort of conspiracy that rooms are built so that the sunlight always blinds her in the morning, peeking its way in through even the thickest of curtains. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from the discomfort, but found that even when she pulled the covers over her head it was simply too bright in the room. She gave up on sleep, rubbed the sand from her eyes, and gave herself a long, satisfying stretch before shifting the blankets from her person and setting her feet on the floor.  
  
The Ryuzoku was happy that she and Val had managed to come across the inn last night; she had been tired of sleeping outside and it was still a few days to the next town. Apparently, this inn had been built here twenty or so years ago as a halfway point between towns; Filia hadn't known of it because she didn't travel much, what with the shop and all. After Val was old enough to help support their home, Filia would close the shop for a few months every couple of years and take a vacation. Sometimes Val went with her and sometimes not, but even so she had never ventured back to the lands where the mazoku barrier had once been since Lina and the other Slayers passed on.  
  
She knew Val was curious as to why they were heading towards the northern part of the continent. He had been there a couple times when he had taken his own vacation, but as far as she knew he did not know that she hadn't been quite truthful when she told him she was the last of the golden dragons. She would have to tell him everything sooner or later...and she preferred it to be later. He was going to be quite upset with her when he found out about his past, but she wanted him to live a normal life as long as he could before he had to deal with something like that. Of course, raising him in such a manner was trying on herself, and the guilt within her soul was building up to such a level that it was hard to hide it.  
  
_Today I feel almost normal,_ she thought to herself as she got dressed and brushed the tangles from her long, golden hair. _I feel like I did over 400 years ago when I was still adventuring. Well, not quite; I'd like to think I'm at least a little more mature than I used to be._ Being in contact with Xelloss again after Cephieed knows how long pulled some of her more frivilous, silly behaviors out of her pool of depression and brought them to the surface. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss him - he was her excuse to act like a child; her excuse to forget.  
  
She knew he only hung around those for 200 years because Zelas had an interest in Val. Once Val was old enough that it was certain that he had lost all his Mazoku powers, Xelloss was given a new assignment and that was that. With him gone, she had lost her only outlet for releasing her frustration, anger, and depression - making pottery helps some, but it is by no means comparable to beating the shit out of an annoying, grinning Mazoku. _After all those years, it turns out he was right - I'm a hot-tempered violent dragon after all. But I'll be damned before I'll admit it to HIM._ She grinned and exited her room, ready for a big breakfast to start off the day.  
  


* * *

  
Val was hungrily eating his breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast when Filia sauntered into the room. She was wearing loose white pants with gold trim that flared out at the knee, giving it a skirted effect. Her top was of the same loose material only colored pink; she tucked that in and had tied a wide piece of pink fabric around her waist to hide the pants-to-shirt seam. She topped off her look with a white and gold cape. She was beautiful. _And she looks happier than I've seen her in a long time_.  
  
The golden dragon gracefully took a seat across from Val and flashed him a smile, causing him to flush slightly. He turned his attention back to his food as Filia ordered her own meal so that she wouldn't see his involuntary reddening of the face. Her recent mood caused her to have more of an effect on him than he was used to. He couldn't remember her being this...unpredictable...since he was little, but he wasn't about to complain. He looked up at her again as her plate and tea tray were set down, only to see her beautiful blue eyes focusing on him.  
  
"Remember that man you were so worried about?" she asked him. She was still smiling and her eyes sparkled with the sort mischief one would expect from a teenager. He nodded dumbly, trying hard not to make it seem dumbly, but failing miserably. She didn't seem to notice, however, because she had a faraway look in her eyes and was touching her lips slightly. "He will be here shortly."  
  


* * *

  
Val wasn't quite sure how she would know something like that, but her tone was so certain that he accepted her statement as true. Sure enough, just after Filia poured her first cup of tea a man winked into existance right on the chair next to her. He was dressed as a priest with purple hair styled into a long bowl-cut, and his face bore an expression of amusement. There was no doubt in the ancient dragon's mind that this was the one who had angered Filia recently; he had the same dark and evil scent about him. He draped an arm on the back Filia's chair and casually leaned back in his own.  
  
"Good morning, Filia-san!" he sang. "How lovely to see you in such good spirits!" Then he seemingly noticed her breakfast partner for the first time. "Ah, Val-san! It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" He held out his hand, and Val shook it grudgingly, saying nothing.  
  
"Good morning, Xelloss," the gold dragon chirped. "Would you like some tea?"  
  
"Why yes, Filia, I would!"  
  
If Filia was still angry with this guy she bore no sign of it. All smiles, she graciously poured him a cup of tea and passed it to him. That's when the name Filia used to address the man hit Val with full force.  
  
"You're the one one who killed off hordes of golden dragons 1500 years ago, aren't you?" Val growled softly. "You're the Mazoku Priest of Beastmaster Zelas."  
  
Xelloss laughed, his hand placed behind his head with seeming embarassment. "Why, so I am! But I'm not one to brag about my accomplishments." He took a sip of his tea and said to Filia, "You told him about me, I assume?"  
  
Filia sniffed haughtily. "Of course I did. I would never raise a child without warning him about filthy Mazoku scum such as yourself."  
  
Xelloss's eye ticked with annoyance. "Now now, Filia, it isn't ladylike to go around flaunting your rude golden Ryuzoku heritage." He snatched her breakfast platter (still loaded with french toast) from in front of her. "And you had better stop eating this - it looks like you're gaining weight."  
  
"Hey, give that back, you trash pile!" she hollered, reaching for her plate as Xelloss shifted it out of her reach. She stood up and tried to reach across the Mazoku to take back her plate, but he stood as well and caused her to topple over onto the floor.  
  
"Ah ah ah, Filia!" he said, shaking his finger and tsking at her. "You'll ruin your diet!"  
  
"AHHH! I'll get you for that, you disgusting lump of feces!" And with that, she pulled out her mace and swung at him furiously, and he swiftly dodged her attacks while keeping the platter intact and still full of food.  
  
Val simply sat and watched, baffled at the display before him. Here was a Mazoku and a Ryuzoku - mortal enemies by nature - but they had tolerated each other for a brief moment. And even though they were now fighting, it was almost like it was a game of some sort. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the fruitcake who now had Filia's full attention, and he wondered why Xelloss had brought himself back into Filia's life so suddenly after 400 years.  
  
(To be continued...)  
  


* * *

  
  
A/N: Sorry this goes on for so long and nothing really happens, but I really wanted to get some thoughts for Filia and Val in here and I wanted to introduce Xelloss to Val. They'll continue their journey in the next chapter if you're all good boys and girls and review. ^_^  
  
Also, Val doesn't know that Xelloss has only been away for 200 years - he believes that Filia hasn't seen him since the battle against Dark Star. But we know that Xelloss had been around for nearly 200 years after that to spy on Val. What happened? Hmm - guess you'll hafta wait to find out! 


End file.
